rwillitt

Ok, for those other vette owners that would love to drive their cars at speed without fear of speed traps, pedestrians, animals, pot holes etc., I decided to share my experiences after my third track day with my C6. 3 ½ years ago I got my 3rd corvette, an 2007 artic white base coupe, 6 speed. I'd always wanted to drive on race tracks but never really looked for the opportunity, so I joined SCCA after I'd read about the PDX program our region does and 1 year ago this month, April, I did my first track day.

The car was totally stock, no mods at all and I was a total rookie and never done any real performance driving. Driving in these events, is 4, 20 minute sessions on a short, 1.2 mile road course in the infield at Daytona. I was pretty awful but the SCCA instructors are patient and helpful and by the 3rd session I was running pretty well and not having to let too many pass me. Using the totally stock base car, my observations were the brakes faded badly after a few laps and the body lean in the turns was more pronounced that I thought a Corvette should do. It was a blast but I wanted better!

Before my next try, upgrades! Slotted rotors, stainless steel brake lines, Hawk HPS pads (I know, they say not for track use of any kind, keep reading), JOC shocks and sway bars. On the street, definitely a firmer ride and firmer brake pedel.

Off to my second PDX, Sebring club course, slightly longer course but more technical, lots more turns and more braking from speed. The Hawk HPS pads are right, if you can help it don't use them on the track. Even with the stainless lines, fresh bleed and clean fluid, my first thing to see was brake fade. Beyond that the JOC package had made a noticable difference in the turns, even to my amaturish driving (if that's really a word). Much quicker turn-in, slight understeer. Noticeably flatter in the turns. Still pretty good nose down on hard braking (when I had brakes). I had improved and some aspects of the car had improved with the mods. But like all with the bug to go fast(er), I wanted more, so on to more mods.

Brakes had to be better, new rotors DBA 4000's and Carbotech pads, XP10's. Also, came across a good deal on a pair of Z06 springs with less than 3,000 miles on them so picked them up too. Had everything installed, brake fluid replaced with RBF600 and off to my 3rd event, which I've just returned from.

Same track as my first event, so I was familiar with it. I got bumped up to a more advanced group of drivers since I was now “experienced” and hadn't broken my car in 2 tries. First session, taking it easy and getting to know the course again, testing out the upgrades a bit. Next sessions, opening up. The XP10 pads with DBA 4000 rotots are awesome!!! Never faded and, even with street tires, I found myself over braking the turns. As I started to brake later and trying to come out of turns faster, I found, instead of the slight understeer I had at the 2nd event, oversteer! Now, to a rather inexperienced performance driver, this is an exciting experience, producing sweaty palms and racing heart. I did not spin it, and was able to control it but the backend definitely wants to come out now. Also, being in the “advanced” group, I found myself letting lots of other cars by. Not a terrible thing, it's not racing so it doesn't matter. But there is that unofficial count of how may cars pass you. And having to let a Miata by, really? Ok, I did find out it was turbo charged and running slicks so that made my ego a little less bruised and he did catch me in the turns.

My lessons in this year of fun, and advice to those who want to try. First and the most important. All of us that want to do high performance driving, invest in yourself and get a good performance driving class if you really want to do it right. The SCCA people are awesome, they'll show you the lines and get you around the track in a spirited, fun, safe way, but, they're not teaching car control and all the techniques that go with it. Any car can be fun to drive at speed, you just have to learn how to do it properly. If it's your daily driver, you really don't want to learn by bumping in to walls or tire barriers. It's usually a long walk home. No, I haven't taken that advice and I've read it in many posts, but I am doing a class before the end of the year. That said, I think the things I've changed on my car are basically sound.

Second, all those parts on the car are made to work together. There are lots of after market things out there and lots of them are great, but getting it all together is tough. Especially those pesky suspension parts. I think (this is coming from a non-mechanic and just my thoughts) that putting in the Z06 springs, stiffened up the back end and that made it want to overstear instead of finding the understeer I had with base springs. The JOC rear sway bar is adjustable, I'm going to soften it before the next event and see what that does.

Third lesson, these events are a blast!!! They're very controlled and well run events. The speed limit is your nerves and car capabilities. Sure, you can break the car, but the repair shops need to make a living too. Seriously, if you've ever wanted to try some track time check out the SCCA programs, membership is reasonable and the events are a real bargain compared to some other club events. Not an advertisement, just an enthusiastic member.

Make your mods to your car, but don't forget to invest in yourself and learn the trade. It only makes it more fun. Hope to see you at a track day.

Camaro4life18

Sounds like a blast. Next time you go you need to mount a camera and show us a video

rwillitt

Yeah, that was my intention this time. I had my camera with me and my wife and daughter were there for part of the day with the camera bag, which had the mount in it. They left and took my suction cup mount with them and I had no way to mount the camera. Always something to improve on. Next time for sure!

MLCRookie

Sounds like you had a great time! Congrats!

Frankko

Thanks for your post!

It is very encouraging as I am fixing up my car for that same purpose and it is my DD.

I do have the JOC stage 1 and was thinking about the DBA rotors and pads cause I read it here in another post and you confirm it works.
Kinda makes it an easy decision to make.

Learning high performance driving techniques is first in my list as soon as I get the time.

I went through Keith Codes books and videos before I did a moto track day (jennings / CBR 600RR) and I did very good. Without the training is hard to recognize what is going on and how to fix or adjust to correct. If that makes sense.

Thanks again.

Frank

Nosferatu

good read. Just bought mine so I'm not going there yet with the car (it's my daily driver). I'll be sticking to 1/4mi driving.

I did do a track day event once with a company that let you take out a bunch of exotics. Got to throw around a Gallardo, F430, and Porsche 997 Turbo. It definitely has me thinking of getting more into the twisties with racing. It's more technical and more fun than the straight line driving. Plus one of my good friends has a lightly bolted on Evo X putting down 390awhp so it's a little rivalry we'll be brewing.

CrvtBB

Thanks for a great post. I learned very early when I first started doing track days the key to fast laps was brakes. This was confirmed when I did One Lap of America in 2007 in my '96 LT4 and lost my brakes on my second lap at Hallett. Hard to get a good lap time when they're trying to pull your Vette out of the woods....

BEZ06

Excellent writeup!!!

For those that want a really fantastic track experience, you really need to attend the National Corvette Museum HPDE at VIR (Virginia Int'l Raceway) the end of June:

http://www.corvettemuseum.org/regist.../virinfo.shtml


They also have a one day event at Mid Ohio in May, Autobahn in Joiliet, IL in Oct, and a two day event at Thunderhill in Willows,CA in Oct. Pull down the "Events" tab for more info on those track days.

However, the VIR event is a really PREMIER educational driving event for novice track drivers. The classroom instruction is the best you'll get, and the in-car instructors will show you how to safely take advantage of the fantastic power and performance that our Vettes have.

The VIR track is a beautiful venue in the VA countryside, and it has a bunch of different character in each of the turns - uphill esses, off-camber, interesting combinations, a couple nice straights, etc. We run the 3.27 mile Full Course.

NOW - ABOUT DAYTONA!!!!

It sounds like your SCCA experience on the infield should have you well prepared for the full Rolex 24 roadcourse track!!

I was running an event there Thurs/Fri on the Rolex track just before you were there over the weekend. There are several events in the fall, but the absolute best one for novice track drivers is the one in Dec that is co-sponsored by Audi and PDG (Performance Driving Group). Here's a link to the PDG website that shows the event scheduled for Dec 6-8 this year, and you can drive one, two, or all three days:

http://www.performancedrivinggroup.com


EDITED: The link above was updated to indicate the new site for the co-sponsor of the HPDE.


So.....that was a great writeup about your experience, and I hope it will encourage other Forum members to get out to a track near them and experience the full capabilities of our fantastic cars responsibly in a safe and fun environment on a race track.

Bob

jack5hd

VatorMan

By all means take your car to the track and have a blast ! But PLEASE buy safety gear-GOOD helmet, seats, harnesses,HANS device) before getting new parts-ESPECIALLY race tires. The extra grip without race seats will cause you to slide around in the stock seat.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Great write up

If anyone needs brake pads please contact me I will be happy to help you out.

08velocity

So just curious, what pads would you suggest for daily driver ( mostly) / auto-x ? ours is an 08 base / a6 with Z51 package.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

The 1521 compound can be Auto X and is a great daily driver pad, if you want more bite and can put up with dust and noise than the AX6 is the best for Auto X. Give me a call at 216-780-8825 I will be happy to talk with you.

The Carbotech™ 1521™ is our high performance street compound. The 1521™ compound is known for its release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. 1521™ is also a very low dusting and low noise compound with an excellent initial bite. This compound's excellent linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Carbotech™ 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 800°F (426°C+). 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle or fleet vehicle. Carbotech™ 1521™ is NOT recommended for ANY track use.

The AX6™ is specifically engineered for Autocross applications. A high torque brake compound delivering reliable and consistent performance over a very wide operating temperature range of 50°F to 1100°F + (10°C to 593°C+). The advanced compound matrix provides an excellent initial bite, high coefficient of friction at lower temperatures along with very progressive brake modulation and release characteristics. AX6™ offers high fade resistance, rotor friendliness at all temperatures and excellent cold stopping power. As a result, AX6™ is an excellent choice for Autocross and has gained tremendous popularity with SCCA Prosolo/Solo2 competitors for its outstanding all around performance. Many drivers use the AX6™ for street driving as well, even though Carbotech™ doesn't recommend street driving with AX6™ due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

1521 F&R $276 less 5%.

AX6 F&R $320 less 5%.

mikeCsix

Good write up. I fared a little better with my Z-51 equipped '08 at Pacific Raceways. Awesome cars. I upgraded the brake lines with Goodrich SS lines and used Motul 600 and had no brake issues at all, though I wanted wider tires. After going through the machinations of wheel/tire combo's and wide body kits w/BBK's, decided to sell and picked up a new GS. Had an awesome day at the track last year (only had time for one day) and looking forward to 3 or 4 events this year. The GS handles differently than the Z-51 did, seems more capable in many ways. It was almost like starting over again. Either way, being on the racetrack to explore the potential of these terrific cars is both fun and safe - much safer than doing it on public roads.

rwillitt

Somehow, I feel the 1/4 mile runs put more strain on the car. No instant starts in road racing, but lots of other wear and tear.

I did an exotic driving thing at Disney in Orlando. Drove the Gallardo on their short road course and part of their stock car driving experience track. It's an awesome car and that experience also inspired me to do it in my vette. Nothing wrong with your friends Evo either, they're great performance cars.

rwillitt

I'd love to drive Virginia, heard it's a great course. The Corvette museum also runs one at Sebring. I missed it last year, hope to catch it this year. I also found out about a club that rents out Robling, up in Georgia for a full day. No run groups, just open track from 8am to 5pm, run as much as you want for about $200. Got to check that one out too.

Maybe someday I'll get to run the Rolex course at Daytona, we do part of it, just can't get on the banked track. Would be lots of fun to get the Corvette on that part of the track!

rwillitt

Thanks, sounds like you've had some fun with your cars too. Everyone, there are lots of opportunities to stretch the legs of these great cars in a safe (for you and others) environment. Public roads are for transportation, not racing. Keep it safe and enjoy.

BEZ06

Well, like I said above, come to the Audi/PDG event Dec 6-8. This link to the PDG site has info - click on "Events" and you'll see the Daytona event listed:

http://www.performancedrivinggroup.com


EDITED: The link above was updated to indicate the new site for the co-sponsor of the HPDE.


You can attend 1, 2, or all 3 days.

C'ya at the track!!

BEZ06

I'm not sure who has organized that open track day you mention, but if you want to run with a great group at Roebling Road check out the Flatout Motorsports site for two events they have coming up:

http://www.flatoutmotorsports.us


Click on the "Schedule" tab on the left of the page to see that they'll be running there May 18-19, and Aug 17-18.

They are not taking any students - you must be solo qualified. No classroom or in-car instruction.

It's not an "open track" event, and it costs $299 for two days, but you'll get a lot of track time with a great bunch of other drivers.

This is the organization that just ran the 2 day Daytona event just before the SCCA one you went to over the weekend. I've also run with them at Roebling Road before and they are

Bob

Seadawg

Another thought is, if you not willing to pull the trigger, or want to learn more, just about every one of the places will allow you to watch, take pictures, talk with the car owners, etc.

As BEZ06 knows, I've been a spectator to a few events around the Daytona area, and ONE DAY my day job will NOT conflict with track days, and I'll get mine out there to play some.

Finally, I can't say enough about driving schools too. I'm a MUCH smoother (and safer/faster/intelligent) driver since I attended the 3 day school at Spring Mountain. It was time and money well spent.

I grew up in the mountains of WV, so I had a lot of curvy road experience (both cycles and auto), now it makes sense about what worked and what didn't as a teenager